The present invention relates generally to electronic commerce systems and electronic design systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a networked product configuration and design system having components to facilitate live agent support using network-based communications techniques. The invention will be described using an exemplary embodiment involving the design of custom storage closets. The invention may be utilized in numerous other applications as well.
Many companies have recognized the potential value of using the Internet to augment conventional marketing, sales, and support functions. In this regard, Internet web pages are now widely used to market products and the Internet shopping cart model is also widely used to handle the product sales function. Web-based customer support sites are also widely utilized, although typically such sites provide only answers to frequently asked questions or otherwise merely harvest email inquiries for a product support agent to answer by return email. These conventional marketing, sales, and support techniques work reasonably well for standardized, mass produced goods, such as computer software, books, pharmaceutical products, consumer electronic products, toys, and the like. These techniques work less well for products that are highly customized to a particular customer's needs. Heretofore, the intricate customer interaction needed to assist in the design of complex or highly customized systems has not been practical over the Internet.
The world wide web, and other information and communication facilities of the internet, have opened doors to a number of interesting business support applications. Initially, the internet served simply as a vehicle to disseminate information about a company's products and services, and to assist customers in selecting those products and services for purchase. Software systems, known as selection tools, evolved to support these simple selection functions.
However, more recently, sophisticated companies have begun using the internet to support complex products and services, and to assist customers in making complex purchasing and configuration decisions. Such functions go far beyond simple product selection. After items are selected, the relationships and interactions among those selected items are taken into account. Software systems known as configuration tools or “configurator” tools, have evolved to fulfill this purpose. In assessing relationships, configurator tools may employ both look-up and algorithmic processes.
By way of illustration, consider the product selection tool first. The typical product selection tool presents an on-screen catalog of products with an interactive interface through which the customer can add or subtract options. In shopping for a new computer, for example, the customer can make such option selections as adding or subtracting a modem, increasing or decreasing the memory and disk storage size, selecting a larger or smaller monitor, and the like.
In contrast, the configurator tool does considerably more. While it can be used to present on-screen information about products, services and selection options, the configurator tool also allows the user to alter parameters, combine components in user-defined ways, and to define the architecture and attributes of systems that may uniquely fit the user's needs.
For example, a configurator tool might be used to assist an engineer in designing the layout and components deployed in a petroleum refinery plant or an electric generating plant. Such applications would typically involve far more than simply selecting components. Complex physical, chemical, and electrical interactions also can be taken into account. Special attributes of individual components, such as their capacity, operating ratings, and physical characteristics also can be taken into account.
As the above example suggests, configurator tools can be quite complex. Often they may employ one or more expert systems or other artificial intelligence components to capture knowledge that is then presented to the user as needed. Unfortunately, there seems to be an inverse relationship between power and ease of use. The more powerful a configurator tool becomes, the more difficult it is to use.
As many web system designers have experienced, it is fairly easy to design an intuitive, self-directed tool when that tool must only access a shallow pool of knowledge. It becomes geometrically more difficult to retain the intuitive, self-directed properties as the knowledge pool deepens. Stated differently, as the body of knowledge encapsulated by the system grows, self-directed navigation through the system becomes increasingly more difficult.
The present invention tackles this problem with live agent technology. The expert system and other artificial intelligence components of the configurator tool are integrated with a live agent support system that places the user in communication with live agents (e.g. human assistants) as needed. While the user can navigate through and use the configurator tool alone, the user can also obtain on-the-spot assistance from a live agent simply by asking via on-screen selection. The live agent support system defines a common reference frame through which the user and agent communicate. While the common reference frame can take many forms, some of the presently preferred embodiments employ internet chat facilities for messaging and push technology to allow the agent to supply content to the user or to control what the user experiences at his or her web browser.
By solving the basic tool navigation problem, the invention makes complex configurator tools far easier to develop and use. In a typical implementation, the live agent works with the configurator tool every day, assisting users in solving ad hoc problems. Thus, while the agent may not necessarily be an expert in the underlying knowledge base for which the configurator tool was designed (e.g. instrumentation and control design, power system design, closet design), the agent does become an expert in using the tool. Thus when a user is blocked due to unfamiliarity with the tool, the live agent can step in to assist. This is a significant improvement that system users will readily appreciate.
However, from a business standpoint, the live agent support component of the invention offers an even more significant advantage. It places live agents in direct communication with customers, on the customers' own invitation. Direct marketing experts have long recognized the value of customer invitation. The potential customer who has given permission to be contacted directly represents a far better prospect than the one whose name simply appears on a purchased mailing list. The live agent support component of the invention thus places the live agent and potential customer (system user) in a permissive relationship that gives the live agent the opportunity to upsell, cross sell, and to establish a future relationship with that user as a customer.